MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH

Judge allows ban on funds to Planned Parenthood

Texas can legally cut off funding to health programs for women

(AP) AUSTIN, Texas — Texas can cut off funding to Planned Parenthood’s family planning programs for poor women, a state judge ruled Monday.

Judge Gary Harger said that Texas may exclude otherwise qualified doctors and clinics from receiving state funding if they advocate for abortion rights.

The state has long banned the use of state funds for abortion, but had continued to reimburse Planned Parenthood clinics for providing basic health care to poor women through the state’s Women’s Health Program. The program provides check-ups and birth control to 110,000 poor women a year, and Planned Parenthood clinics were treating 48,000 of them.